Fritz

                    The one and only with the look you can’t resist!

    The most handsome, gentle and gaudies cat I ever met.

  The beginning of Tassemarkens.

Fritz the Cat

           (picture from 1983)

After two weeks I thought that Fritz shouldn’t be alone. (I had also 2 big Ara-parrots)

Champagne & Patrik                          Me (when I was young) & Rosita

I knew my breeder in Norway was expecting kittens and I wanted a Brown Mackerel tabby girl.

In December 1982 she got 7 kittens (5 boys and 2 girls) but only one brown Mackerel tabby girl.

The little lady she would be mine. Her name was Niro’s Champagne.

Champagne 12 weeks                                             Champagne                                                                                               It must makes two to dance tango.

Champagne 10 month old

It was a long time waiting for Champagne, that was what Fritz and I thought.

From that day she came to our house Fritz and Champagne became lovers ... and got married.

Fritz & Champagne

La marriage

Now we really started up

Tassemarkens cattery

(picture from 1983 with a pregnant Champagne)

After they got married we were planning for kittens.

I counted to over 30 times (making love) for the whole week and that don’t include the time I was at work.

Everyone said the first litter always had few kittens.

Champagne got 7 kittens (5 boys and 2 girls). My first litter was born 1984-01-30.

Champagne with her first litter – can you find 7 kittens?

Champagne also became a famous Calendar girl for Whiskas food.

The tiniest little kitten weight was 65 gr.

He got the name Thumb-little (Tummeliten in Swedish) because he wasn’t bigger than a thumb.

This was the beginning of Tassemarkens cattery.....

If I should translate Tassemarkens into English,

it means a forest in wilderness ... a place where no one has been).

Fritz & Tussilo

A proud father with his firstborn daughter.

Before I got this litter I said to myself ... I shall sell all kittens....!

But my little Tummeliten was crawling up on my foot when he was nearly 3 weeks

... I WANT TO STAY AT YOU .... He said. And what could I do? ...

Nothing ... and I told myself: That’s very good for Champagne to keep one kitten.

And so we did, and Champagne, Fritz and my parrots didn’t mind.

Tummeliten was 12 weeks old when he for the first time tasted anything else than Champagne’s milk. I found him sitting in the plate full of cookies ... that became his big passion.

When he was 3 month he was at his first show. The judge said “He got a very big belly”

... and he kept the same belly for the whole life … Even if the 9 kg wasn’t only cookies.

After a couple of month I got a phonecall.

One of the girls I sold (Tinka-Lillfot) wasn’t feeling good.

Tinka-Lillfot had been a joyful and lovely cat and she loved everybody who came to our house.

Tinka-Lillfot – 10 weeks old ... I also called her my little doll

I went to her new home and I found her laid under the bed so very shy. That wasn’t like the girl I sold. Something was wrong!!!!!

When I took her into my arms she was very afraid and I couldn’t touch the back or the tale.

So I understand that the 2 children she was living with weren’t nice ones.

I took her back to my home immediately. Never ever anything should happen to her ... I promised her.

When we came home Fritz, Champagne and Tummeliten began to show her ALL their love to her.

And the very first night she jumped up into my bed; lay down at my pillow and PURRING.

I became the one she always trusted. We could look into each ones eye and we understood without talking.

Now we had a nice family of four with Tummeliten and Tinka-Lillfot playing together.

Tussilo & Tinka-Lillfot & Tummeliten

I found the name Tinka-Lillfot from a painting of John Bauer.

Tussilo stayed at my parents … they fell in love with her from the first sign.

Tummeliten of the year 1987

A few litters later … and the year was 1986.

For the first time I was going to mate Champagne with another male.

I found a black & white boy named Colosseums Kalle and he lived in Norway.

Fortunate Kalle was at a show in Stockholm when Champagne was calling and she could follow him home.

After 2 days Tinka-Lillfot began to call. So what did I do?

I took Tinka-Lillfot with me and went to Kalle in Norway.

Champagne was not so happy about Kalle because she loved Fritz.

How should she explain if she got home pregnant?

We had to wait until Friday when Champagne and Kalle make love.

Now she could blame that she was exhausted.

Colosseums Kalle and Tinka-Lillfot -  Love has just began

Tinka-Lillfot - Just loving to be the mother

Champagne was helping Tinka-Lillfot whole the time and maybe she thought

-This was a very easy birth!!!!!

But the 3 of February (1986) it was time to Champagne to deliver.

Of course we should be in the same “Birth-bed” as the other kittens were.

This time Tinka-Lillfot helped Champagne. Champagne got 5 wonderful kittens.

Rowena – she always kissed me goodnight.

We were a family of six now.

My girls got litters. Fritz was always the father who took care of all the kittens.

It doesn’t matter who the real father was …

Tummeliten was learning the kittens how to climb up in the curtains and other joyful games.

Fritz & Tummeliten & Vidar (uncle of Kitty)

A couple of years went.

Then it was my time to get pregnant.

After only 6 month pregnancy I got a “litter” and it was a girl.

It was a very tiny one. Her weight was only 608 g and 30 cm long. We named her Veronika.

And we kept her. She was raised up in a litter of six cats.

Tinka-Lillfot watched Veronika carefully when she was crying. She looked at me and says:

- Thank heavens you only got one child and you can’t stop this one crying!

Veronika was the first and only child who Tinka-Lillfot ever loved.

I thought sometimes that Tinka-Lillfot were more mummy to her than I was.

Tummeliten says – Veronika is tinier then I was?

Veronika 2,5 month old and 1265 gr

Veronika 8 month – Together with her family.

Tummeliten & Stefanie & Fritz

The whole family of Tassemarkens

You can also see the little baby Veronika

Rowena and Veronika and Tummeliten in the background

One day in the spring of 1997, a breeder who had bought Tassemarkens Veronica

(a kitten of Rowena), phoned me.

Tassemarkens Veronica
(Born 1989-11-24)

Tassemarkens Veronica
(Born 1989-11-24)

One of the children (bluetortie mackerel and white) of Veronika was going to replace.

She wonders if I were interesting of taking care of her even if she was 2 years old.

She knew I loved blue once.

I said: - I will test her. If my cats like her and if she likes them it’s ok.

They loved her and she loved them. She became a Tassemarkens cat.

Her name was Tvärpilens Lady Loquette but we called her Kitty.

Kitty – 3 years old

Kitty and Tummeliten became lovers.

But Tummeliten had a little secret … he was neutered.

Two old ladies

Tinka-Lillfot and her daughter Rowena
(13 and 11 years old)

My 2-legs Veronika grow up just like Tummeliten but not with a big belly.

It was time to have a litter. We hadn’t got a litter for 8 years.

And we had only 3 cats left: Tummeliten, Rowena and Kitty.

Tummeliten &  Rowena & Kitty

The year was 1999 and I started to look for a male to mate Kitty with.

- Excuse me Tummeliten … but we couldn’t get any kittens of you and Kitty!

So I found this lovely boy called Tassajara’s Magor.

Kitty and Magor in action

The 4 of November 1999 was the time …

Tummeliten believed he was the father, because Kitty and he was a couple.

Rowena helping Kitty with the kittens.

We should keep a girl from this litter, we decided.

We only got ONE girl and she was blacktortie mackerel and white, so we didn’t have to
make a choice.

Her name was Nicole. She looked like sweet honey.

Nicole 8 weeks old

Nalle Puh 8 weeks old

The first boy in the litter was “sold” only a week old. 
The couple wanted him had 2 Tassemarkens boys earlier.

The second boy was “sold” after 4 weeks.

Non Stop & Nicole & Nintendo & Nalle Puh

But the third boy (who only weight 75 gr when he was born) always was sleeping when
the other played and when he was awake the other slept.

Nalle Puh (4 weeks) and Tummeliten

He was called Nalle Puh (Winnie the Poo) and he was always together with Tummeliten.

His brothers and sister were so dull they always slept.

He became Tummeliten’s little brother and I couldn’t sell him.

Hi I’m Nalle Puh and this is my BIG brother Tummeliten

I must have a new Tummeliten because he was getting old.

Tummeliten was nearly 17 years old and I wanted a cat that was as sweet and gentle as he.

And we kept Nalle Puh exactly as I wanted. Nalle Puh is a just like a copy of Tummeliten.

Tummeliten – 17 years old

Next time I wanted to mate Nicole.

I found a male, when he was 4 month old, to her.

His name was Micehunter’s Fantasio.

Kitty was helping Nicole to deliver the kittens. Nalle Puh also wanted to help.

Suddenly there were three cats in the baby-bed … I couldn’t see when the kittens
were born. It was too crowded. But everything went well without my help.

Nalle Puh & Nicole & Kitty
and somewhere 4 kittens

We just love to be a big loving family

We got 3 kittens; Yrsa, Yatzy and Yamaha.

I wanted to keep Yatzy and she became a mummy-kitten from the very first time.

She was very look a like Stefanie and she was a little dearest.

Yatzy also could say mummy in Swedish … “mamma” …

Who can resist me???

(Yatzy 7 weeks old)

Yatzy 11 month old

Loving to be in front of the camera.

Yatzy – having the wild lynx look.

After about 6 month I got a call from the man who bought Yamaha.

He was ill and couldn’t keep him.

I took him back and I couldn’t sell him once again. So he would be our neuter boy number 2.

My husband had always loved him … so that wasn’t any problems.

Yamaha upon the piano

(it’s not a Yamaha piano – it’s a Efraim Rapp)

Yamaha loves water.

He likes to put his head in the water when I’m washing.

A year later (2002) I mated Nicole once again with Fantasio.

This time I got 4 kittens. It was three girls and one boy.

The boy (Duncan) had been sold to the couple I sold Nicole’s brother (Non Stop).

The other two girls (Dorianne Grey and Destiny) came to lovely homes.

Nicole (the mother) and Kitty (who want to be the mother)

Kitty; - I’m dreaming to be a mother …

The third girl Dinky Toy was a sad story.

Everyone wanted to buy this special girl … I had at least 30 buyers who wanted her.

She had everything …. And she was sweet as candy.

Dinky Toy 12 days

When she was nearly four weeks old she climbed up on a height and fell down … hurting her back.

When I came home from work I saw my little Dinky Toy who couldn’t walk.

Her back legs were hanging down like two tales. She couldn’t stand on them.

She stopped dinking milk from Nicole.

She was too small to x-ray and everyone said put her sleep.

I couldn’t do that and I’m like a donkey.

I became her mummy now. I feed her and I began to train her legs.

She was lying on her back in my knee and I was walking her legs up and down.

Dinky Toy and her toy

Duncan & Dinky Toy

She played with the other kittens, hunting them on her two front legs. She looked like a rabbit.

After 6 weeks she was taking her first steps ON HER BACK LEGS.

I cried … it was fantastic … she could walk even if it look a bit funny. She survived.

All the time Yatzy had taken care of Dinky Toy … because she was the big nurse and always was
sweet and careful sister.

Yatzy taking care of her little sister.

Thanks a lot Yatzy – you are an angel.

Isn’t Yatzy sweet

 laying beside the picture of her little brother Duncan   

Today Dinky Toy is hunting her brother Yamaha all around the home.

Up and down over the chairs, flying over the table and lands on his back … fighting with him.

You never guess she couldn’t walk.

Dinky Toy – Looks like a dinky toy

Dinky Toy – 8 month old

(I’m so sweet when I’m closing my eyes)

Of course Dinky Toy staid at our home. Sometimes I believe Dinky think I’m her mummy.

The summer of 2003 we were at our house in Sälen, 
which is in the mountains nearly Norway. We also go there in the winter of course.

Here is some picture from this summer and later.

Nalle Puh and Nicole in their best summercoats.

Nalle Puh taking a rest on the carpet.

Nicole resting in the sofa.

Yatzy laying on the table

Dinky Toy closing her eyes, us usully

Mother and son

(Kitty and Nalle Puh)

Nalle Puh & Dinky Toy in bed.

(the year 2004)

This is the Tassemarkens story until now ….

I might say … to be continued, I’m sure.

Thank you so much for listen to the story.

                 … Story made by Ylva Ribbing Linder